Support and Solidarity with the Platform of Affected by the Mortgages (PAH) Spain

HIC

Six members of the Plataforma
de Afectados por la Hipoteca
(PAH), social movement struggling against
evictions and the right to housing in Spain, who left Cordoba on July the 1st
to reach Brussels on September the 25th, are currently in Paris. Over 2,000 kilometres
walking to share their situation and the same of other 260,000 evicted families:

To denounce the financial system responsible for this human and social
catastrophe.

To denounce the Spanish government’s refusal to respond to the claims
made
​​by more than one million men and women who are
mobilized every day to prevent evictions in villages and cities across the
country, occupying the headquarters of banks and in the streets…

To Demand:

·
The freezing of foreclosures affecting families who have obtained bank
loans to buy their homes.

·
The cancellation of debts against delivery of housing or “dation in payment”, an agreement between the bank and the buyer to allow the
final cancellation of the debt on the mortgaged property.

·
Keeping the property, against a social rent adapted to income.

·
The massive construction of public and social housing to meet the needs
of the population.

Nevertheless:

In March 2013, the European Court has validated the PAH’s
claims and declared that “Spanish regulation is contrary to European Union
law …” The European Court also stated its disagreement with the Spanish
law on evictions: currently, when an owner fails to pay its credit, the bank
can start a quick procedure in order to confiscate the property. But Spanish
law prevents “competent judges to declare the unfairness of a clause in a mortgage
contract and suspend the foreclosure process…”; on the other hand, the
confiscation of the property does not cancelled the debt.

In June 2013, the European Parliament honoured the PAH
with the European Citizen Award 2013, designed to recognize “outstanding
initiatives in favour of Europe” and “everyday actions that specify
the values
​​contained in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union”.

As solidarity social movements and organizations
struggling for the human rights, we share and sustain all the PAH’s claims and reaffirm
our solidarity.

We call on the French MEPs to receive the Spanish
delegation, requesting them to intercede the European authorities to support the
PAH’s proposals when reaching Brussels

First signatories:

DAL/No Vox

Aitec/IPAM

Jeudi Noir

ATTAC

Solidaires

Habitat International Coalition (HIC)